Find out about watershed development and how it benefits an area?

Answer 1

nomenclature "Hariyali Guidelines".

3. In the meanwhile, emerging issues of ground water recharging and

convergence to create a critical mass of investments demanded innovative

guidelines. At the advent of the Eleventh Plan period, our main challenge is to

move the nation decisively in the direction of "inclusive growth". Rainfed areas

of 85 million hectares out of the 142 million hectares of net cultivated area, have

suffered neglect in the past. High untapped productivity and income potential

exists in these areas.

4. An insight into the rainfed regions reveals a grim picture of poverty, water

scarcity, rapid depletion of ground water table and fragile ecosystems. Land

degradation due to soil erosion by wind and water, low rainwater use efficiency,

high population pressure, acute fodder shortage, poor livestock productivity,

underinvestment in water use efficiency, lack of assured and remunerative

marketing opportunities and poor infrastructure are important concerns of

enabling policies. The challenge in rainfed areas, therefore, is to improve rural

livelihoods through participatory watershed development with focus on

integrated farming systems for enhancing income, productivity and livelihood

security in a sustainable manner.

5. The National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) has been set up in November

2006, keeping in mind the need to give a special thrust to these regions. A close

analysis of various types of rainfed situations would reveal that soil and water

conservation, watershed development and efficient water management are the

key to sustainable development of rainfed areas. The watershed approach has Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 5

been accepted as a major theme for development of rainfed areas with a view to

conserving Natural Resources of water, soil and vegetation by mobilizing social

capital. Various studies have pointed out the central preoccupation of watershed

development projects with soil and water conservation and relative neglect of

issues relating to balanced use of natural resources and livelihoods.

6. In order to assess the performance of various ongoing projects /

programmes of watershed development, a series of evaluation studies have

been conducted by ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) Institutes,

State Agriculture Universities (SAUs), National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA)

etc. Besides, impact assessment studies were carried out by the Ministry of

Agriculture, Ministry of Rural Development, Planning Commission, ICRISAT

(International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics) and the

Technical Committee constituted by the Department of Land Resources (DoLR).

These studies support the observation that in several watersheds, the

implementation of the programme has been effective for natural resource

conservation by increasing the productivity of the land, bringing additional area

under agriculture, employment generation and social upliftment of beneficiaries

living in the rural areas. But these successes have been sporadic and intermittent. The overall impact at the state and national levels has generally

been inadequate. Additional demand and supply driven socio-economic and risk

managing paradigms are emerging.

7. It is in this context that in coordination with the Planning Commission, an

initiative has been taken to formulate "Common Guidelines for Watershed Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 6

Development Projects" in order to have a unified perspective by all ministries.

These guidelines are therefore applicable to all watershed development projects

in all Departments / Ministries of Government of India concerned with

Watershed Development Projects.

8. Out of the total geographical area of the country of 329 MH, about 146

MH is degraded and 85 MH is rainfed arable land. This includes degraded land

not only under private ownership, but also the one with the departments of

panchayat, revenue and forest. All these lands are prioritized for development

under various watershed development projects under these guidelines. During

the 11

th

Five Year Plan, major thrust would be laid on developing the untreated

areas.

9. These Guidelines broadly indicate a fresh framework for the next

generation watershed programmes. The key features of this new unified

approach can be broadly outlined as follows:

I. Delegating Powers to States: States will now be empowered to

sanction and oversee the implementation of watershed projects within

their areas of jurisdiction and within the parameters set out in these

guidelines.

II. Dedicated Institutions: There would be dedicated implementing

agencies with multi-disciplinary professional teams at the national, state

and district level for managing the watershed programmes.

III. Financial Assistance to Dedicated Institutions: Additional financial

assistance would be provided for strengthening of institutions at the Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 7

district, state and national level to ensure professionalism in management

of watershed projects.

IV. Duration of the Programme: With the expanded scope and

expectations under this approach, the project duration has been

enhanced in the range of 4 years to 7 years depending upon nature of

activities spread over 3 distinct phases viz., preparatory phase, works

phase and consolidation phase.

V. Livelihood Orientation: Productivity enhancement and livelihoods shall

be given priority along with conservation measures. Resource

development and usage will be planned to promote farming and allied

activities to promote local livelihoods while ensuring resource

conservation and regeneration. The new approach would systematically

integrate livestock and fisheries management as a central intervention

and encourage dairying and marketing of dairy products. In the rainfed

areas, the animal resources become a major source of income for the

people. When effectively integrated with the Watershed Development

Projects, a comprehensive animal husbandry component would contribute

significantly to ensuring a better and sustainable livelihood for the people

of the rainfed areas.

VI. Cluster Approach: The new approach envisages a broader vision of

geo-hydrological units normally of average size of 1,000 to 5,000 hectares

comprising of clusters of micro-watersheds. If resources and area exist

additional watersheds in contiguous areas in clusters may be taken up. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 8

However smaller size projects will be sanctioned in the hilly/difficult

terrain areas.

VII. Scientific Planning: Special efforts need to be made to utilize the

information technology and remote sensing inputs in planning, monitoring

and evaluation of the programme.

VIII. Capacity Building: Capacity Building and training of all functionaries

and stakeholders involved in the watershed programme implementation

would be carried out on war footing with definite action plan and requisite

professionalism and competence.

IX. Multi Tier Approach: There would be a multi tier ridge to valley

sequenced approach, which should be adopted towards the

implementation of the Watershed Development Projects. The higher

reaches or the forests are actually where the water sources originate. The

approach, therefore, will be to identify an area, and first look at the forest

and the hilly regions, in the upper water catchments wherever possible.

When suitable treatment is undertaken, with the support of the Ministry

of Environment and Forest, or from the States' forest programmes or

other sources, then the hardest part of the watershed is tackled. Forest

department is managing structures such as check dams, contour-bunds

etc. to arrest the erosion and degradation of the forests, which in turn,

actually benefit the lower tiers. Thus, in the upper reaches, which are

mostly hilly and forested, the onus of implementation would mainly lie

with the Forest Departments and the Joint Forest Management Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 9

Committees (JFMC).

The second tier is the intermediate tier or the slopes, which are just

above the agricultural lands. In the intermediate slopes, the Watershed

Management approach would address all the necessary issues by looking

at all the best possible options including treatment, cropping pattern,

horticulture, agro-forestry etc.

As to the third level of the plains and the flat areas, where typically, the

farmers are operating, there would be a large concentration of labour

intensive works. The watershed development process would be

synergized with the employment generating programmes such as the

National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), Backward

Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) etc thus providing strong coordination.

10. These guidelines coupled with the flexibilities inherent in them would

provide an enabling framework for the planning, design, management and

implementation of all watershed development projects in the country. As soon as

these Common Guidelines are approved, they will apply to all schemes

concerned with watershed development of all departments of Government of

India.

New watershed projects will be implemented in accordance with these

Common Guidelines with effect from 1

st

April 2008. Already sanctioned and on

going projects will follow previous guidelines. For interpretation of any of the

provisions of these guidelines, the NRAA will be the final authority. If any

modification in any of the provisions of these Guidelines is contemplated by any Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 10

of the Nodal Ministry, then such modification would need to be ratified by the

Executive Committee of the NRAA.

2. Guiding Principles

11. The common guidelines for Watershed development projects are based

on the following principles:

I. Equity and Gender Sensitivity: Watershed Development Projects

should be considered as levers of inclusiveness. Project Implementing

Agencies must facilitate the equity processes such as a) enhanced

livelihood opportunities for the poor through investment in their assets

and improvements in productivity and income, b) improving access of

the poor, especially women to the benefits, c) enhancing role of women

in decision-making processes and their representation in the institutional

arrangements and d) ensuring access to usufruct rights from the

common property resources for the resource poor.

II Decentralization: Project management would improve with

decentralization, delegation and professionalism. Establishing suitable

institutional arrangements within the overall framework of the

Panchayati Raj Institutions, and the operational flexibility in norms to

suit varying local conditions will enhance decentralisation. Empowered

committees with delegation to rationalise the policies, continuity in

administrative support and timely release of funds are the other

instruments for effective decentralization.

III Facilitating Agencies: Social mobilisation, community organisation, Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 11

building capacities of communities in planning and implementation,

ensuring equity arrangements etc need intensive facilitation.

Competent organisations including voluntary organizations with

professional teams having necessary skills and expertise would be

selected through a rigorous process and may be provided financial

support to perform the above specific functions.

IV. Centrality of Community Participation: Involvement of primary

stakeholders is at the centre of planning, budgeting, implementation,

and management of watershed projects. Community organizations

may be closely associated with and accountable to Gram Sabhas in

project activities.

V. Capacity Building and Technology Inputs: Considerable stress

would be given on capacity building as a crucial component for

achieving the desired results. This would be a continuous process

enabling functionaries to enhance their knowledge and skills and

develop the correct orientation and perspectives thereby becoming

more effective in performing their roles and responsibilities. With

current trends and advances in information technology and remote

sensing, it is possible to acquire detailed information about the various

field level characteristics of any area or region. Thus, the endeavour

would be to build in strong technology inputs into the new vision of

watershed programmes. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 12

VI. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning: A participatory, outcome

and impact-oriented and user-focused Monitoring, Evaluation and

Learning system would be put in place to obtain feedback and

undertake improvements in planning, project design and

implementation.

VII. Organizational Restructuring: Establishing appropriate technical

and professional support structures at national, state, district and

project levels and developing effective functional partnerships among

project authorities, implementing agencies and support organizations

would play a vital role.

3. Technology Inputs

12. Technology enables us, inter-alia, to strengthen programme management

and coordination, undertake activity based project planning, formulate action

plans, streamline sanctions and release of funds, create useful data bases,

assess actual impacts of projects, make effective prioritizations, prepare

sophisticated DPRs, document best practices and case studies and facilitate the

free and seamless flow of information and data.

13. Thus, the endeavour would be to build in strong technology inputs into the

new vision of watershed programmes. At the State and National levels, core GIS

facilities, with spatial & non-spatial data, would be established and augmented

with satellite imagery data received from NRSA, ISRO and Survey of India. All

the GIS layers for various themes would be overlaid having a geo-referenced Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 13

base layer up to the level of village boundaries in the first instance. This core

GIS data may be given controlled access/distribution over network for local

project planning. Application software for web-enabled integrated watershed

development, spatial & non-spatial data standards and meta-data would also be

worked out. Once such a knowledge base is in place, it would be possible to

define watershed project boundaries with assignment of unique-identification

(unique-id) to each project. It would also be possible to map treatment area

with respect to their respective administrative formations in terms of villages,

blocks and districts.

14. Remote sensing data would be utilized for finalizing contour maps for

assessment of run-off and for identifying structures best suited for location of

projects. This would result in cost and time optimization in project

implementation. Technology would also contribute immensely in assessing the

actual impact of various programs in a given area. Due to availability of latest

remote sensing techniques, it is now possible to assess periodic changes in geohydrological potential, soil and crop cover, run-off etc in the project area.

15. Information connectivity would be extended to all the districts and project

implementation agencies. This Watershed information network would reach right

up to the project areas. Each District and State centre would be equipped with

IT and domain professionals with desired skills. Thus technology inputs would

bring about a paradigm shift in the implementation and management of the area

development programmes. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 14

16. A National Portal will be created which will host the data generated for all

watershed projects in the entire country. Inputs will be compiled from all

concerned Ministries / Departments including Ministry of Rural Development /

Ministry of Environment and Forest / Ministry of Agriculture. The National Portal

will be commissioned and maintained by the NRAA.

4. Institutional arrangements at National, State and District

levels

Following the spirit of the Guiding Principles, appropriate institutional

arrangements would be made at various levels for effective and professional

management of watershed development projects.

4.1. Role of National Rainfed Area Authority

17. National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) would, inter-alia, be responsible

for:

a. Supporting the process of preparing strategic plans for watershed based

development projects at the state and district level keeping in view

specific agro-climatic and socio-economic conditions.

b. Assisting in the preparation of state specific technical manuals for the

multi-disciplinary and integrated approach required for implementation of

these projects together with the standards and specifications etc.

c. Supporting State Level Nodal Agencies in identifying resource

organizations and establishing capacity building arrangements. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 15

d. Facilitating action research relevant to watershed development

programme in different agro-climatic regions.

e. Conducting studies, evaluation and impact assessment from time to time

so that the benefits of these are available for improving the quality of

watershed management projects.

f. Facilitating convergence of different schemes and projects of Government

of India which are having similar objectives.

g. Accessing additional funds from other sources including private sector,

foreign funding agency, etc and facilitate its use to fill up critical gaps in

the programme as well as upscale successful experiences through

innovative organizations at field levels.

h. Acting as an effective coordinating mechanism between all bodies/

organizations/ agencies/ departments/ ministries etc who are involved in

watershed programmes.

i. Organizing regional and international conferences, seminars and

workshops, study tours, and information sharing.

j. Providing technical knowledge inputs and expertise.

k. Such other activities as may be decided by the governing body of NRAA /

Government from time to time.

4.2 Institutional arrangements at the Ministry Level

18. Whereas each Ministry is free to set up its own mechanism to oversee

watershed development programmes, it shall also have the option to set up a Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 16

Nodal Agency at the central level in the Department for managing and

implementing watershed development projects. These nodal agencies will

comprise of professional multi-disciplinary experts experienced in the fields of

agriculture, water management, institution and capacity building etc.

19. The Nodal Agency at the central level in the Department / Ministry,

among others, will perform the following important functions:

a. Facilitate allocation of the budgetary outlay for the projects among the

States keeping in view the criteria as specified in the Guidelines.

b. Interact with State and District Level Agencies, facilitate and ensure

smooth flow of funds to the District Watershed Development Units as per

the fund flow norms as well as recommendations from the State Level

Nodal Agencies.

c. Actively support capacity building programmes at all levels.

d. Strongly support, augment and initiate Information, Education and

Communication (IEC) activities with modern IT inputs.

e. Ensure close monitoring through on-line systems.

f. Establish suitable systems for field visits, monitoring, social audits and

impact assessment through interaction with state and district level

agencies for effective implementation of the projects at ground level.

g. Prepare a panel of evaluators or evaluation agencies and undertake

evaluation studies, impact assessment studies and such other evaluation

tasks as deemed fit from time to time. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 17

h. Support as well as facilitate participation in national, regional and

international conferences, seminars and workshops, study tours, research

/ field studies and information sharing.

i. Act as an effective coordinating mechanism between all bodies,

organizations, agencies, departments, Ministries etc. which are involved in

watershed programs.

j. Undertake all such activities which are useful for the purposes of ensuring

that watershed programmes become major vehicles for the overall and

all-round development of rainfed areas in the country.

20. The Funding support for the Nodal Agency at the central level will come

primarily from the budget of the respective Department / Ministry after suitable

review of the existing staff and infrastructure already available and actual

requirement. It may also receive support from other Institutes and Agencies

both national and international, corporate entities, and such other organisations

which seek to support programmes on watershed mode.

4.3 National Level Data Centre and National Portal

21. The National Data Centre and National Portal under the overall aegis of

the NRAA would be a national level facility for extending, storing and generating

watershed and land resource information, data and knowledge. The National

Data Centre (NDC) would collate summary data for the entire country, archival

data, data for programme and fund flow management. This centre is planned to

be equipped with various GIS thematic layers for cadastral, watershed, soil, land

use, socio-economic parameters, habitation etc. It shall have application support Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 18

for area development programmes, rural employment, land use planning, master

data for integrated layers, and high end GIS data for district level planning and

monitoring.

4.4 State Level Nodal Agency

22. A dedicated State Level Nodal Agency (SLNA) (Department / Mission /

Society/ Authority) will be constituted by the State Government having an

independent bank account. The state should be given the flexibility to utilise or

strengthen an existing state level agency/department/organisation. Central

assistance for SLNA will be transferred directly to the account of SLNA and not

into the State Government budget.

23. The SLNA will sign an MOU with the Departmental Nodal Agency setting

out mutual expectations with regard to performance, timelines and financial

parameters including conditions related to release of funds to SLNA. The SLNA

will be required to review the programme and provide enabling mechanism to

set up State Data Cell and ensure regular reporting to the Central Government/

Nodal Agency at the central level in the Department. There would be multidisciplinary professional support team at the State level to implement the

programme.

24. The Development Commissioner / Additional Chief Secretary / Agricultural

Production Commissioner/ Principal Secretary of the concerned department or

their equivalent nominated by the State Government will be the Chairperson of

the SLNA. The State Level Nodal Agency will have a full-time CEO who may be a

serving Government officer on deputation or appointed on a contract of not less Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 19

than three years with the State Level Nodal Agency. Such a contract will set out

the terms and conditions of engagement as well as clearly defined goals against

which the performance of the CEO will be closely monitored.

25. The SLNA would consist of one representative from the NRAA, one

representative from the Central Nodal Ministry, one representative from

NABARD, one representative each from the State Department of Rural

Development, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and allied sector, one

representative from Ground Water Board and one representative from an

eminent voluntary organization and two professional experts from research

institutes / academia of the state. There will be also representation from NREGA,

BRGF and other related implementing agencies at the state level. The SLNA

will sanction watershed projects for the State on the basis of approved

state perspective and strategic plan as per procedure in vogue and

oversee all watershed projects in the state within the parameters set

out in these Guidelines.

26. A Team of 4 to 7 professional experts will assist the State Level Nodal

Agency. This team will be selected by the State Level Nodal Agency either on

deputation from experts available from the line departments or in case such

experts are not available, they may be engaged on contract basis from the open

market by a transparent process. Their disciplines will, inter-alia, include

agriculture, water management, capacity building, social mobilisation,

information technology, administration and finance/ accounts, etc. A requisite

number of administrative staff will support this team of experts. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 20

27. The main functions of the SLNA will be to:

a. Prepare a perspective and strategic plan of watershed development

for the state on the basis of plans prepared at the block and district

level and indicate implementation strategy and expected

outputs/outcomes, financial outlays and approach the Nodal Agency at

the central level in the Department for appraisal and clearance.

b. Establish and maintain a state level data cell from the funds

sanctioned to the States, and connect it online with the National Level

Data Centre.

c. Provide technical support to District Watershed Development Units

(DWDU) throughout the state.

d. Approve a list of independent institutions for capacity building of

various stakeholders within the state and work out the overall capacity

building strategy in consultation with NRAA/Nodal Ministry.

e. Approve Project Implementing Agencies identified/selected by DWDU/

District Level Committee by adopting appropriate objective selection

criteria and transparent systems.

f. Establish monitoring, evaluation and learning systems at various levels

(Internal and external/ independent systems).

g. Ensure regular and quality on-line monitoring of watershed projects in

the state in association with Nodal Agency at the central level and

securing feedback by developing partnerships with independent and

capable agencies. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 21

h. Constitute a panel of Independent Institutional Evaluators for all

watershed projects within the state, get this panel duly approved by

the concerned Nodal Agencies at the central level and ensure that

quality evaluations take place on a regular basis.

i. Prepare State Specific Process Guidelines, Technology Manuals etc in

coordination with the Nodal Ministry/ NRAA and operationalise the

same.

28. The Funding support for the State Level Nodal Agency and the state level

data cell will come primarily from the budget of the Department of Land

Resources, Ministry of Rural Development after suitable review of the existing

staff and infrastructure already available and actual requirement. It may also

receive support from other Institutes and Agencies both national and

international, corporate entities, and such other organisations which seek to

support programmes on watershed mode. Each State Level Nodal Agency and

state level data cell will be provided with an initial capital grant to meet

establishment costs and a recurring grant per annum to meet its annual

expenses. The actual amount would depend upon the level of staff and

infrastructure already available and the actual requirement. Till such time, SLNA

is set up, the existing arrangement regarding sanctioning of project and flow of

fund will be continued. However, all out efforts should be made by the States to

set up SLNAs within a period of 6 months.

4.5 District Watershed Development Unit (DWDU)

29. In districts, where the area under the watershed development projects is Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 22

about 25,000 hectare, a separate dedicated unit, called the District Watershed

Development Unit (DWDU) will be established at the district level, which will

oversee the implementation of watershed programme in each district and will

have separate independent accounts for this purpose. Where the area under

Watershed Development Projects is less than approximately 25,000 hectare, the

projects will be implemented in accordance with the existing arrangements.

However, in such cases one officer shall be exclusively appointed within the

DRDA either on contract or on deputation to coordinate watershed projects at

the district level. DWDU will function in close co-ordination with the District

Planning Committee. There will also be a representation in DWDU for NREGA,

BRGF implementing agencies at the district level. Alternatively, the mechanism

of approval and implementation of project by the District Level Committee /

collector may continue to prevail.

30. DWDU will be a separate unit with full time Project Manager and 3 to 4

subject matter specialists on Agriculture/ Water Management / Social

Mobilisation/ Management & Accounts appointed on the basis of their

qualification and expertise on contract/deputation/transfer etc. The Project

Manager, DWDU would be a serving government officer on deputation or would

be recruited from open market by means of a transparent process. If he/she is a

serving Government officer, his/her posting will be done by the State

Government. If open market recruitment is necessary, this will be done by the

SLNA. The Project Manager, DWDU will sign a contract (for a period not less

than three years) with SLNA that will spell out well-defined annual goals, against Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 23

which his/her performance will be consistently monitored. The arrangements for

setting up/ strengthening the DWDUs/District Data Cell will be financially

supported by the Government of India after review of available staff,

infrastructure and the actual requirement.

31. The functions of DWDU will be as follows:

a. Identify potential Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) in

consultation with SLNA as per the empanelment process as decided by

the respective state governments.

b. Take up the over all responsibility of facilitating the preparation of

strategic and annual action plans for watershed development projects

in respective districts.

c. Providing professional technical support to Project Implementing

Agencies (PIAs) in planning and execution of watershed development

projects.

d. Develop action plans for capacity building, with close involvement of

resource organizations to execute the capacity building action plans.

e. Carry out regular monitoring, evaluation and learning.

f. Ensure smooth flow of funds to watershed development projects.

g. Ensure timely submission of required documents to SLNA / Nodal

Agency of the Department at central level.

h. Facilitate co-ordination with relevant programmes of agriculture,

horticulture, rural development, animal husbandry, etc with watershed

development projects for enhancement of productivity and livelihoods.

i. Integrate watershed development projects/ plans into District Plans of

the district planning committees. All expenditure of watershed projects

would be reflected in district plans. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 24

j. Establish and maintain the District Level Data Cell and link it to the

State Level and National Level Data Centre.

4.6 Role of Panchayati Raj Institutions at district and intermediate

levels

32. The full responsibility of overseeing the watershed programme within the

district will lie with the DWDU which will work in close collaboration with the

District Planning Committee (DPC). The DPC will provide full governance support

to the programme. The DPC will approve the perspective and annual action

plans relating to watersheds projects in the district. DPC will integrate the

watershed development plans with over all district plans and also oversee its

implementation. DWDU will help the DPC in providing oversight and ensuring

regular monitoring and evaluation of the programme. The District Panchayat /

Zilla Parishad will have an important role of governance in matters relating to

the co-ordination of various sectoral schemes with watershed development

projects, review of progress, settling disputes etc. Where the Panchayat system

is not in operation, this role will be played by the DWDU/District Autonomous

Councils.

33. Similarly, Intermediate Panchayats have an important role in planning the

watershed development projects at the intermediate level. They can also provide

valuable support to PIAs and Gram Panchayats/ Watershed Committees in

technical guidance with the help of their subject matter specialists. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 25

5. Institutional Arrangements at Project Level

5.1 Project Implementing Agency (PIA)

34. The SLNA would evolve appropriate mechanisms for selecting and

approving the PIAs, who would be responsible for implementation of watershed

projects in different districts. These PIAs may include relevant line departments,

autonomous organizations under State/ Central Governments, Government

Institutes/ Research bodies, Intermediate Panchayats, Voluntary Organizations

(VOs). However, the following criteria may be observed in the selection of these

PIAs:

They should preferably have prior experience in watershed related aspects or

management of watershed development projects.

They should be prepared to constitute dedicated Watershed Development

Teams.

35. Voluntary Organizations (VOs) will have an important role in the

programme and their services will be utilized substantively in the areas of

awareness generation, capacity building, IEC and social audit among others. As

far as direct implementation of the programme is concerned, Voluntary

Organizations (VOs) with established credentials may be chosen as PIAs on the

basis of detailed criteria as enumerated below.

35.1 The Voluntary Organizations (VOs) would need to satisfy the following

criteria to be selected as PIA:

a. Should be a registered legal entity of at least 5 years standing.

b. Should have had at least 3 years of field experience in the area of Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 26

community based Natural Resource Management and livelihood

development.

c. Should not have been blacklisted by CAPART or any other Department of

Government of India or State Government.

d. Should be equipped with a dedicated, multidisciplinary team with gender

balance.

e. Should furnish three years balance sheet, audited statement of accounts

and income returns. All accounts of the organization should be up to date.

f. Should furnish the profile of its Board of Directors.

g. Should have successfully implemented projects independently.

35.2 It will be subjected to the following conditions:

(i) At any point of time, one VO cannot be assigned more than 10,000 ha

area in a district.

(ii) At any point of time, one VO cannot be assigned more than 30,000 ha

area in a State.

(iii) In any case, not more than 1/4

th

of the total Projects at a time in a State

to be implemented by VOs.

36. Selected PIAs will sign a contract/MOU with the concerned DWDUs/ District

Level Committee as referred in para 29 that will spell out well-defined annual

outcomes, against which the performance of each PIA will be monitored each

year and evaluated on a regular basis by institutional evaluators from a panel

approved by the SLNA / Departmental Nodal Agency at the central level.

37. Each PIA must put in position a dedicated watershed development team

(WDT) with the approval of DWDU. The WDT will be hired on contract / Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 27

deputation / transfer etc for a term not exceeding the project period. The

composition of the WDT will be indicated in the contract/ MOU. No programme

funds for DPR and watershed works under any circumstances should be released

to either the PIA or Watershed Committee (WC) unless the composition of the

WDT has been clearly indicated in the MOU/ contract and the team members are

fully in place.

5.2 Roles and Responsibilities of the PIA

38. The Project Implementing Agency (PIA) will provide necessary technical

guidance to the Gram Panchayat for preparation of development plans for the

watershed through Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercise, undertake

community organization and training for the village communities, supervise

watershed development activities, inspect and authenticate project accounts,

encourage adoption of low cost technologies and build upon indigenous

technical knowledge, monitor and review the overall project implementation and

set up institutional arrangements for post-project operation and maintenance

and further development of the assets created during the project period.

39. The PIA, after careful scrutiny, shall submit the Action Plan for Watershed

Development Project for approval of the DWDU/DRDA and other arrangements.

The PIA shall submit the periodical progress report to DWDU. The PIA shall also

arrange physical, financial and social audit of the work undertaken. It will

facilitate the mobilization of additional financial resources from other

government programmes, such as NREGA, BRGF, SGRY, National Horticulture

Mission, Tribal Welfare Schemes, Artificial Ground Water Recharging, Greening

India, etc. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 28

5.3 Watershed Development Team

40. The WDT is an integral part of the PIA and will be set up by the PIA. Each

WDT should have at least four members, broadly with knowledge and

experience in agriculture, soil science, water management, social mobilisation

and institutional building. At least one of the WDT members should be a

woman. The WDT members should preferably have a professional degree.

However, the qualification can be relaxed by the DWDU with the approval of

SLNA in deserving cases keeping in view the practical field experience of the

candidate. The WDT should be located as close as possible to the watershed

project. At the same time, it must be ensured that the WDT should function in

close collaboration with the team of experts at the district and state level. The

expenses towards the salaries of the WDT members shall be charged from the

administrative support to the PIA. DWDU will facilitate the training of the WDT

members.

5.4 Roles and Responsibilities of WDT

41. The WDT will guide the Watershed Committee (WC) in the formulation of

the watershed action plan. An indicative list of the roles and responsibilities of

the WDT would include among others, the following.

a. Assist Gram Panchayat / Gram Sabha in constitution of the Watershed

Committee and their functioning.

b. Organizing and nurturing User Groups and Self-Help Groups.

c. Mobilising women to ensure that the perspectives and interests of

women are adequately reflected in the watershed action plan.Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 29

d. Conducting the participatory base-line surveys, training and capacity

building.

e. Preparing detailed resource development plans including water and soil

conservation or reclamation etc. to promote sustainable livelihoods at

household level.

f. Common property resource management and equitable sharing.

g. Preparing Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the consideration of Gram

Sabha.

h. Undertake engineering surveys, prepare engineering drawings and cost

estimates for any structures to be built.

i. Monitoring, checking, assessing, undertaking physical verification and

measurements of the work done.

j. Facilitating the development of livelihood opportunities for the landless.

k. Maintaining project accounts.

l. Arranging physical, financial and social audit of the work undertaken.

m. Setting up suitable arrangements for post-project operation,

maintenance and future development of the assets created during the

project period. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 30

6. Institutional Arrangements at the Village Level and

People's Participation

6.1 Self Help Groups

42. The Watershed Committee shall constitute SHGs in the watershed area with

the help of WDT from amongst poor, small and marginal farmer households,

landless/asset less poor agricultural labourers, women, shepherds and SC/ST

persons. These Groups shall be homogenous groups having common identity

and interest who are dependent on the watershed area for their livelihood. Each

Self Help Group will be provided with a revolving fund of an amount to be

decided by the Nodal Ministry.

6.2 User Groups

43. The Watershed Committee (WC) shall also constitute User Groups in the

watershed area with the help of WDT. These shall be homogenous groups of

persons most affected by each work/ activity and shall include those having land

holdings within the watershed areas. Each User Group shall consist of those who

are likely to derive direct benefits from a particular watershed work or activity.

The Watershed Committee (WC) with the help of the WDT shall facilitate

resource-use agreements among the User Groups based on the principles of

equity and sustainability. These agreements must be worked out before the

concerned work is undertaken. It must be regarded as a pre-condition for that

activity. The User Groups will be responsible for the operation and maintenance

of all the assets created under the project in close collaboration with the Gram

Panchayat and the Gram Sabha. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 31

6.3 Watershed Committee (WC)

44. The Gram Sabha will constitute the Watershed Committee (WC) to

implement the Watershed project with the technical support of the WDT in the

village. The Watershed Committee (WC) has to be registered under the Society

Registration Act, 1860. The Gram Sabha may elect/appoint any suitable person

from the village as the Chairman of Watershed Committee. The secretary of the

Watershed Committee (WC) will be a paid functionary of the Watershed

Committee (WC). The Watershed Committee (WC) will comprise of at least 10

members, half of the members shall be representatives of SHGs and User

Groups, SC/ST community, women and landless persons in the village. One

member of the WDT shall also be represented in the Watershed Committee

(WC). Where the Panchayat covers more than one village, they would constitute

a separate subcommittee for each village to manage the watershed development

project in the concerned village. Where a watershed project covers more than

one Gram Panchayat, separate committees will be constituted for each Gram

Panchayat. The Watershed Committee (WC) would be provided with an

independent rented office accommodation.

45. The Watershed Committee will open a separate bank account to receive

funds for watershed projects and will utilise the same for undertaking its

activities. The expenses towards the salaries of the WDT members and

Secretary of Watershed Committee (WC) shall be charged from the

administrative expenses under the professional support to the PIA. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 32

6.4 Secretary, Watershed Committee

46. The Secretary of the Watershed Committee (WC) will be selected in a

meeting of the Gram Sabha. This person would be an independent paid

functionary distinct and separate from the Panchayat Secretary. He would be a

dedicated functionary with no responsibilities other than the assistance to the

Watershed Committee (WC) and would work under the direct supervision of the

President of Watershed Committee (WC) and would be selected on the basis of

merit and experience. The expenses towards the honorarium to be paid to

Secretary of Watershed Committee (WC) will be charged from the administrative

support to the PIA. The Secretary will be responsible for the following tasks:

a. Convening meetings of the Gram Sabha, Gram Panchyat, Watershed

Committee for facilitating the decision making processes in the context

of Watershed Development Project.

b. Taking follow up action on all decisions.

c. Maintaining all the records of project activities and proceedings of the

meetings of Gram Panchayat, Watershed Committee (WC) and other

institutions for Watershed Development Project.

d. Ensuring payments and other financial transactions.

e. Signing the cheques jointly with the WDT nominee on behalf of the

Watershed Committee.

6.5 Role of Gram Panchayat

47. The Gram Panchayat would perform the following important functions: Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 33

a. Supervise, support and advise Watershed Committee from time to

time.

b. Authenticate the accounts/ expenditure statements of Watershed

Committee and other institutions of watershed project.

c. Facilitate the convergence of various projects/ schemes to institutions

of watershed development project.

d. Maintain asset registers under watershed development projects with a

view to retain it after the watershed development project.

e. Provide office accommodation and other requirements to Watershed

Committee.

i. Allocate usufruct rights to deserving user groups/ SHGs over the

assets created.

7. Criteria for selection of watershed projects

48. The following criteria may broadly be used in selection and prioritisation

of watershed development projects:

a. Acuteness of drinking water scarcity.

b. Extent of over exploitation of ground water resources.

c. Preponderance of wastelands/degraded lands.

d. Contiguity to another watershed that has already been developed/

treated.

e. Willingness of village community to make voluntary contributions, enforce

equitable social regulations for sharing of common property resources, Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 34

make equitable distribution of benefits, create arrangements for the

operation and maintenance of the assets created.

f. Proportion of scheduled castes/scheduled tribes.

g. Area of the project should not be covered under assured irrigation.

h. Productivity potential of the land.

8. Project Management

49. The major activities of the Watershed Development Projects will be

sequenced into (I) Preparatory, (ii) Works and (iii) Consolidation and withdrawal

Phase. In view of the expanded scope and expectations under the watershed

development programme, the project duration could be in the range of four to

seven years depending upon the activities and Ministries/Departments. The DPR

should mention the detailed justification for the proposed project duration. The

project duration may be spread over 3 different phases as decided by the Nodal

Ministry and as given below:

Phase Name Duration

I Preparatory Phase 1-2 years

II Watershed Works Phase 2-3 years

III Consolidation and Withdrawal Phase 1-2 years

8.1 Preparatory Phase

50. The major objective of this phase is to build appropriate mechanisms for

adoption of participatory approach and empowerment of local institutions (WC, Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 35

SHG, and UG). WDT will assume a facilitating role during this phase. In this

phase, the main activities will include:

a. Taking up entry point activities to establish credibility of the Watershed

Development Team (WDT) and create a rapport with the village

community. The entry point activities, inter-alia, will include:

i. Works based on urgent needs of the local communities such as

revival of common natural resources, drinking water, development

of local energy potential, augmenting ground water potential etc.

ii. Repair, restoration and upgradation of existing common property

assets and structures (such as village tanks) may be undertaken to

obtain optimum and sustained benefits from previous public

investments and traditional water harvesting structures.

iii. Productivity enhancement of existing farming systems could also

be an activity that helps in community mobilization and building

rapport.

b. Initiating the development of Village level institutions such as Watershed

Committees (WCs), Self- Help Groups (SHGs) and User Groups (UGs) and

Capacity Building of different stakeholders on institutional and work

related aspects.

c. Environment building, awareness generation, undertaking of intensive IEC

activities, creating involvement and participatory responses.

d. Baseline surveys needed for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR),

selection of sites and beneficiaries. Every effort must be made to collect Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 36

gender-disaggregated data to adequately reflect the situation and

priorities of women.

e. Hydro-geological survey of the watershed to map out zones of potential

groundwater recharge, storage and sustainable groundwater utilisation.

f. Building up a network of technical support agencies.

g. Preparation of the DPR, including activities to be carried out, selection of

beneficiaries and work-sites and design and costing of all works, ensuring

that the interests, perceptions and priorities of women, dalits, adivasis

and the landless are adequately reflected in the DPR.

h. Working out detailed resource-use agreements (for surface water,

groundwater and common/forest land usufructs) among User Group

members in a participatory manner based on principles of equity and

sustainability.

i. Participatory monitoring of progress and processes.

51. Preparation of DPR: DPR preparation is a crucial activity at the district

level, which is to be facilitated by the WDT for an identified project area. The

technical inputs in the form of resource maps and cadastral maps have to be

made available at local level. It is necessary to capture the entire database of

DPR in a systematic manner as a structured document at the initial stage itself.

52. DPR preparation requires a strong PRA exercise and comprehensive

beneficiary level database separately for private land and community land

development with linkages to the cadastral database. This will facilitate spatial

depiction of the action plan. The DPR should include, among other things, the Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 37

following:

a. Basic Information on Watershed including rainfall, temperature, location

including geographical coordinates, topography, hydrology,

hydrogeology, soils, forests, demographic features, ethnographic details

of communities, land-use pattern, major crops & their productivity,

irrigation, livestock, socio-economic status etc.

b. Details of expected/proposed User Groups & Self Help Groups, master

tables for private land / common land activities, contribution to watershed

development funds, information on soil and land-use, existing assets

related to water harvesting, recharging and storage etc. needs to be

provided plot-wise.

c. Problems Typology of the Watershed including an account of the major

problems requiring intervention from the perspective of enhancing

livelihood potential/carrying capacity as well as conservation and

regeneration of resources.

d. Description of Proposed Interventions (physical and financial, including

time-table of interventions) along with technical details and drawings

certified by the WDT.

e. Detailed Mapping exercises.

f. Institutional mechanisms and agreements for implementing the plan,

ensuring emphasis on participatory decision-making, equity and

sustainability of benefits, and post-project sustainability.

g. Expected Outcomes and Benefits, especially with respect to livelihoods for Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 38

different segments, benefits to women and regeneration/conservation of

resources, etc.

53. The DPR will be prepared by the WDT for integrated development of the

watershed area with active participation of the Watershed Committee (WC).

The WDT should utilize various thematic maps relating to land and water

resources in the preparation and finalization of the DPR. This DPR shall

necessarily include the clear demarcation of the watershed with specific details

of survey numbers, ownership details and a map depicting the location of

proposed work/activities for each year.

54. The DPR for the watershed shall be in tune with the District Perspective

Plan. The permissible works relating to soil and moisture conservation under

NREGS, BRGF, and Artificial Ground Water Recharge must complement the micro

watershed plan. District agricultural plans may also be consulted while

formulating the District Perspective Plans.

55. This DPR will be a part of the MIS from which details will be arranged into

various layers on GIS as a monitoring, management, accounting and analytical

tool besides serving as a source of information and a link to the state level data

cell in the SLNA and National Data Centre in the NRAA. The DPR may be

summed up using a standard planning tool such as Logical Framework Analysis

(LFA) that includes goals, purpose, outputs, activities, inputs, challenges and

measurable indicators of progress.

56. The overall responsibility for the preparation of a technically sound and

high quality DPR would lie with the Project Implementing Agency (PIA). After Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 39

approval by the Gram Sabha, the PIA shall submit the DPR for approval to the

DWDU/DRDA/DP. Alternatively, the mechanism of approval and implementation

of projects by district level committee / collector may continue to prevail.

57. Each watershed has unique characteristics and problems. Its treatment

and management would therefore require careful consideration of various site

specific factors like topography, nature and depth of soil cover, type of rocks,

water absorbing capacity of land, rainfall intensity, land use etc. All works must

be planned in a location-specific manner, taking into account the above factors

along with local demands and socio-economic conditions of the watershed.

58. The ridge-to-valley principle with multi tier sequenced approach has been

indicated in detail at Preface on Para 9(IX).

8.2 Watershed Works Phase

59. This phase is the heart of the programme in which the DPR will be

implemented. Some of the important activities to be included in this phase are:

a. Ridge Area Treatment: All activities required to restore the health of the

catchment area by reducing the volume and velocity of surface run-off,

including regeneration of vegetative cover in forest and common land,

afforestation, staggered trenching, contour and graded bunding, bench

terracing etc.

b. Drainage line treatment with a combination of vegetative and engineering

structures, such as earthen checks, brushwood checks, gully plugs, loose

boulder checks, gabion structures, underground dykes etc.

c. Development of water harvesting structures such as low-cost farm ponds, Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 40

nalla bunds, check-dams, percolation tanks and ground water recharge

through wells, bore wells and other measures.

d. Nursery raising for fodder, fuel, timber and horticultural species. As far as

possible local species may be given priority.

e. Land Development including in-situ soil and moisture conservation and

drainage management measures like field bunds, contour and graded

bunds fortified with plantation, bench terracing in hilly terrain etc.

f. Crop demonstrations for popularizing new crops/varieties, water saving

technologies such as drip irrigation or innovative management practices. As

far as possible varieties based on the local germplasm may be promoted.

g. Pasture development, sericulture, bee keeping, back yard poultry, small

ruminant, other livestocks and other micro-enterprises.

h. Veterinary services for livestock and other livestock improvement measures

i. Fisheries development in village ponds/tanks, farm ponds etc.

j. Promotion and propagation of non-conventional energy saving devices,

energy conservation measures, bio fuel plantations etc.

8.3 Consolidation and Withdrawal Phase

60. In this phase the resources augmented and economic plans developed in

Phase II are made the foundation to create new nature-based, sustainable

livelihoods and raise productivity levels. The main objectives under this phase

are:

a. Consolidation and completion of various works.

b. Building the capacity of the community based organizations to carry out Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 41

the new agenda items during post project period.

c. Sustainable management of (developed) natural resources and

d. Up-scaling of successful experiences regarding farm production systems /

off-farm livelihoods.

61. An indicative list of various activities during this phase is given

below:

61.1 Consolidation of various works

a. Preparation of project completion report with details about status of each

intervention;

b. Documentation of successful experiences as well as lessons learnt for future

use.

61.2 Management of developed natural resources

a. Improving the sustainability of various interventions under the project;

b. Formal allocation of users right over common property resources (CPRs);

c. Collection of user charges for CPRs;

d. Repair, maintenance and protection of CPRs;

e. Sustainable utilization of developed natural resources;

f. Involvement of gram panchayat/corresponding institutions (as a governance

body) in addressing the above aspects.

61.3 Intensification of farm production systems/off-farm livelihoods

a. Up scaling of successful experiences related to above aspects through

revolving fund under the project as well as credit and technical support from

external institutions; Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 42

b. Promotion of agro-processing, marketing arrangements of produce and

similar off - farm and informal sector enterprises.

c. Farmers may also be encouraged to develop non pesticidal management, low

cost organic inputs, seed farms and links with wider markets to fetch

competitive price.

61.4 Project management related aspects

a. Participatory planning, implementation and monitoring of activities to be

carried out during consolidation phase;

b. Terminal evaluation of project as per the expected outcomes.

62. Federations could be formed at the level of a cluster of villages in order to

support economic activities at scale. These would further strengthen and

activate the linkages established with external resource agencies for knowledge,

credit, input procurement, sale of local produce, carrying on processing activities

to the point of exports. In these activities, bankability of activities will be

attempted. At the same time, local-level institutions are expected to reach

maturity and exit protocols become operative for the PIA. The Watershed

Committees (WCs) may use the Watershed Development Fund for repair and

maintenance of structures created in Phase II.

63. The classification of activities in the three phases must not be understood

in a rigid manner. Many of the Phase III activities may even start in many

watersheds during Phase I and/or II itself. Phasing of activities needs to have an

internal logic and integrity that must flow through the entire action plan. This

will depend on a host of factors such as the prevailing initial conditions, needs

and possibilities in each village, response of the community etc. Such flexibility Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 43

must be built into the action plan and is to be seen as a distinguishing feature of

these guidelines.

9. Allocation of funds, approval of projects and release of

funds

9.1 Allocation of Funds to States

64. The Nodal Ministry / Department would allocate the budgetary outlay for

the projects among the States keeping in view the following criteria and past

performance of the state (physical and financial) viz. unspent balance,

outstanding utilisation certificates, percentages of completed projects out of

total projects etc except in those schemes where States have flexibility to

allocate funds between watershed and other schemes.

a. State level perspective and strategic plans in watershed based

development projects.

b. Percentage of rainfed area in the state to total cultivated area in the

country.

c. Percentage of wastelands/ degraded lands in the state to the total

geographical area of the country.

9.2 Allocation of Funds to Districts

65. The State level nodal agencies will distribute funds to the districts keeping

in view the following criteria:-

a. District level perspective and strategic plans in watershed based

development projects.

b. Percentage of rainfed area in the district to the total cultivated area of the

state.

c. Percentage of wastelands/ degraded lands/ panchayat lands in the district

to the total geographical area of the state. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 44

9.3 Approval & sanction of Watershed Development Projects

66. By the end of February each year, the States will submit detailed Annual

Action Plans indicating ongoing liabilities as well as new projects which they wish

to take up. The Department Nodal Agency at the central level will thereafter,

based on total available budget for the year and the criteria as given in Para-64

and 65, allocate specific amounts for individual states from whom proposals

have been received. After States have received their allocation against ongoing

and new projects, they will be free to sanction their projects within the State

allocation. On receipt of the sanction orders for the new projects from SLNA; the

Nodal Ministry would release funds directly to the district level agency. The

existing release procedure of Departmental Nodal Agencies may however

continue if release of funds to the district level agency is not feasible.

67. The distribution of budget for specific watershed projects for the various

components therein is given below:

Budget component % of the Budget

- Administrative costs

- Monitoring

- Evaluation

10

1

1

Preparatory phase, including:

- entry point activities,

- institution and capacity building,

- Detailed Project Report (DPR).

4

5

1

Watershed Works Phase:

- Watershed development works,

- Livelihood activities for the asset less persons,

- Production system and micro enterprises.

50

10

13

Consolidation phase 5

Total 100 Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 45

68. The expenditure under the various components of the project budget will

be subject to following conditions:

i. The payments of salaries to the WDTs/ Secretary of the Watershed

Committees etc. would be exclusively charged from the

administrative cost component.

ii. Savings, if any, in each component of the project cost can be utilised

for activity in watershed works only.

iii. Purchase of vehicles and other equipments etc., and construction of

buildings are not allowed. However, purchase of Computers and

related software is permitted.

iv. PIAs belonging to Line Departments may preferably outsource to

VOs/CBOs community mobilization and capacity building activities.

69. Existing unit cost for watershed development is Rs. 6000 per hectare

which was worked out during April 2001. However, during 11

th

Plan it is being

suitably revised in order to take care of the following three aspects: (a)

promotion of livelihoods including improvement of productivity through farming

systems, (b) complete coverage of area under the watershed including common/

forest land and (c) general escalation in cost of material as well as minimum

wages of labourers.

9.4 Procedure for release of installments

70. The central share of funds shall be released to the DWDUs / agency for

the three phases of the implementation spread over the project period in the

following manner or as decided by the Nodal Ministry. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 46

a. The first instalment comprising of preparatory phase activities viz., 20%

of the central share will be released straightaway upon the sanction of

the project by the SLNA.

b. The second instalment comprising of 50% of the central share towards

the project cost will be released on proper certification and submission of

documents after completion of the preparatory phase and 60%

expenditure of the first instalment.

c. The third instalment of 30% i.e. 25% of the central share towards the

works phase of the project cost and 5% for the consolidation phase will

be released on proper certification of expenditure of 75% of the total

funds released supported by relevant documents.

However, the existing arrangements for flow of funds by the concerned

Ministries may continue if the above mechanism is not feasible.

71. The release of funds to district implementing agencies / State

Government will be done directly on the basis of specific annual proposals

received from each district keeping in view their ongoing commitments and the

new projects sanctioned and the overall budgetary provision for the district and

upon approval of their action plans by the SLNA. DWDUs / Agencies shall release

the funds to the PIAs and the watershed committees within 15 days of the

receipt of the fund.

9.5 User Charges

72. The Gram Sabha through the Watershed Committee (WC) shall put in

place mechanism for collecting user charges. No charge will be taken from Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 47

landless, destitute or disabled / widow headed house holds for work done on

private or public land. The user charges collected shall be credited to the WDF

for maintenance of assets created during the project.

9.6 Watershed Development Fund

73. One of the mandatory conditions for selection of villages for watershed

projects is people's contribution towards the Watershed Development Fund

(WDF). The contributions to WDF shall be a minimum 10% of the cost of NRM

works executed on private lands only. However, in case of SC/ST, small and

marginal farmers, the minimum contribution shall be 5% of the cost of NRM

works executed on their lands. However, for other cost intensive farming system

activities such as Aquaculture, Horticulture, Agro-forestry, Animal Husbandry etc

on private land directly benefiting the individual farmers, the contribution of

farmers will be 40% for General category and 20% for SC & ST beneficiaries and

the remaining cost of the activities i.e. 60% for the General and 80% for SC/ST

category will come from the project funds subject to a maximum limit of an

amount equal to double of the standard unit cost norm for Watershed

Development Project.

74. These contributions would be acceptable either in cash at the time of

execution of works or voluntary labour. A sum equivalent to the monetary value

of the voluntary labour would be transferred from the watershed project account

to the WDF bank account that will be distinct from the Watershed Committee

(WC) bank account. User charges, sales proceeds and disposal amounts of

intermediate usufruct rights shall also be deposited in the WDF bank account. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 48

Income earned from assets created under the project on common property

resources shall also be credited to WDF.

75. The Secretary, Watershed Committee (WC) shall maintain a completely

separate account of the income and expenditure of the WDF. Rules for operation

of the fund should be prepared by the Watershed Committee (WC) and ratified

by the Gram Sabha. The WDF bank account should be operated by the President

of the Gram Panchayat and any member from the SHG nominated by the Gram

Sabha. Alternatively, the guidelines for the management and utilization of the

WDF may be evolved by the concerned Nodal Ministry.

76. After completion of Phase II, at least 50% of the WDF funds shall be

reserved for maintenance of assets created on community land or for common

use under the project. Works taken up on private land shall not be eligible for

repair/maintenance out of this Fund. The remaining money may be used as a

revolving fund to advance loans to the villagers of the project area who have

contributed to the fund. Individuals as well as charitable institutions should be

encouraged to contribute generously to this Fund.

9.7 Coordination with other schemes / projects

77. Eleventh Five Year Plan offers an opportunity to converge and harmonise

resources of different schemes and Programmes specially those under Bharat

Nirman and other flagship schemes with watershed development projects.

Mandatory preparation of district level plans will be in a position to enable

convergence and synergies at the grass-root level. The DPR may elaborate gaps Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 49

to be filled or watershed activities to be taken up out of BRGF, NREGS, artificial

ground water recharging, renovation and repairs of tanks, water bodies and any

other available sources. Marketing and value addition is also possible under the

revised APMC Act. Efforts should be made to converge all relevant schemes at

project level.

9.8 Foreclosure of projects

78. Despite the best intentions on the part of the authorities and participating

communities, despite the careful preparation of the detailed project report, and

even despite careful monitoring, there would still be instances of projects which

may still get stalled or from a particular point onwards, make no progress

whatsoever. In such extreme cases where pursuing the project further would

only be a waste of time, energy and resources, the extreme step of foreclosure

may be resorted to. The project work should start within three months of the

receipt of first instalment by DWDU / agency. This is to be judged from

expenditure statement, failing which project will be withdrawn and released

instalment will be adjusted in release of other projects to the State.

79. Steps can also be initiated for suo-moto foreclosure by the State / Central

Government under the following circumstances:

a. Consistent apathy on the part of State and District Level Authorities

towards the project.

b. Non-submission of DPR / approved work plan for two years after the

expiry of preparatory phase without any valid justification. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 50

c. If any matter relating to project is subjudice in any court of law and no

order for staying the project activity has been passed by the court.

d. Any other reason which justifies foreclosure as decided by

District/State/Centre from time to time.

10. Capacity Building Strategy

80. Capacity building support is a crucial component to achieve the desired

results from watershed development projects. These Guidelines broadly define

the contours of the capacity building strategy for watershed development

projects in the country. NRAA would facilitate the evolution of operational

strategies for capacity building in each state in consultation with SLNA and other

resource organizations. The capacity building strategy and activities enumerated

below by NRAA, Nodal Agencies at the central level, consortiums of resource

organizations should be funded separately over and above the earmarked

budget for institution and capacity building in the preparatory phase of the

watershed development project.

10.1. Key Elements of Capacity Building Strategy

81. NRAA will collaborate with various resource organizations for developing

national level as well as state specific capacity building strategies. Key

Components of Capacity Building Strategy are the following:

- Dedicated and decentralised institutional support and delivery

mechanism

- Annual Action Plan for Capacity Building Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 51

- Pool of resource persons

- Well prepared training modules and reading materials

- Mechanism for effective monitoring and follow-up.

10.2 Resource Organizations and Developing Partnerships

82. National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), National Institute of

Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Central Arid Zone Research

Institute (CAZRI), Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training

Institute (CSWCRTI) and its regional centres, Central Research Institute for Dry

land Areas (CRIDA), Water Technology Centres (WTCs), Indian Institute of

Remote Sensing, Dehradun, Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA),

Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), National Remote Sensing Agency

(NRSA), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Soil and Land Use Survey

of India (SLUSI) are some of the well known national level institutions that could

impart capacity building inputs to senior government officers at national/ state/

district levels.

83. There are also several reputed voluntary organizations/ resource

organizations with considerable expertise and experiences related to watershed

development projects such as AKRS (P) (Gujarat), MYRADA (Karnataka), WOTR

(Maharashtra), Dhan Foundation (Tamilnadu), Samaj Pragati Sahyog (MP),

Development Support Center (Guajarat), AFARM (Maharashtra), WASSAN

(Andhra pradesh), ARAVALI (Rajasthan), PRADAN (Jharkhand), CYSD (Orissa),

Seva Mandir (Rajasthan) and so on, in different parts of the country. Some of Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 52

them are already functioning as resource organizations for watershed

development projects in collaboration with state governments.

84. NRAA would help the State Governments in preparing the comprehensive

list of all such resource organizations across the country and profile their

expertise and capacities. As part of this process, NRAA and SLNA identify

National/ State/ District level resource organizations. Based on this analysis,

NRAA facilitates formal partnerships between the Ministries/Departments/ SLNA/

DWDU and resource organizations from government/ voluntary/ ICAR

backgrounds. These resource organizations could operate at national/ state/

district/ sub district level, depending on the need and capacity building strategy

of each state. SLNA develops clear Terms of References (ToRs) with resource

organizations. Depending on the need, NRAA / SLNA could also form

Consortium of Resource Organizations to provide necessary capacity building

support to the watershed development projects at various levels.

11. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

11.1 Monitoring

85. Regular monitoring of the project will have to be carried out at each

stage. Online monitoring must become a feature of all projects. Monitoring

should include process and outcome monitoring. The PIA shall submit quarterly

progress reports (countersigned by the Watershed Committee (WC) President)

to the DWDU for further submission to the SLNA. The DWDU will have one

member exclusively responsible for monitoring. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 53

86. Different streams of monitoring are proposed. The role of the SLNA is

critical in ensuring that the following systems are followed at the appropriate

levels:

- Internal Monitoring by project teams (PIA/DWDU)

- Progress Monitoring

- GIS/ Web Based On-Line Monitoring

- Self Monitoring by communities

- Sustainability Monitoring

- Social Audits

- Independent and External Monitoring by independent agencies

- Process Monitoring

11.2 Evaluation

87. There will be a national panel of Evaluating Agencies in each Ministry. A

minimum percentage of evaluations and impact studies will be carried out by

national level agencies that will ensure objectivity as well as infuse a national

perspective.

88. There will also be an SLNA panel of evaluators, approved by the

Departmental Nodal Agency at central level. The panel will include only

institutions and agencies - not individuals. The SLNA will enter into a formal

contract with these agencies. The DWDU may choose any agency from the SLNA

approved panel, the only condition being that the agency should not belong to

the area being evaluated.

89. Each evaluation will include physical, financial and social audit of the work

done. Evaluators are to be seen not so much as inspectors but as facilitators. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 54

However, they will be very strict in ensuring that these guidelines are being

followed. Fund release will depend on a favourable report from the evaluators.

90. The concurrent and Post-Project evaluation would be conducted to assess

the status of watershed related interventions. A separate set of guidelines on

evaluation will be issued in due course by the respective Ministries.

11.3 Learning

91. Systematic efforts are to be made by the WDT/WC to learn from the field

experiences as also from feedback of independent sources. The following

methods are proposed to enable the learning process at different levels.

a. Systematic analysis of monitoring data (all types of monitoring) on a

regular basis by internal team and sharing with project authorities/ policy

makers.

b. Engaging services of independent academic and voluntary organizations

by the DWDU, for taking up research and action research projects.

c. Initiating pilots on new themes and innovative models.

d. Organizing regular sharing, reflective and learning events to learn from

field experiences, monitoring exercises and academic/ research studies.

These events could be organized at district, state and national level.

11.4 Outcomes / End Results

92. Each Watershed Development Project is expected to achieve the following

results by the end of the project period:

a. All the works/activities that are planned for the treatment and development

of the drainage lines, arable and non-arable lands in the watershed area are Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 55

completed with the active participation and contribution of the user groups

and the community at large.

b. The user groups/panchayats have willingly taken over the operation and

maintenance of the assets created and made suitable administrative and

financial arrangements for their maintenance and further development.

c. All the members of the Watershed Committee and staff such as Watershed

Secretary and Volunteers have been given orientation and training to

improve their knowledge and upgrade technical/management and community

organisational skills to a level that is appropriate for the successful discharge

of their responsibilities on withdrawal of the Watershed Development Team

from the Project.

d. The village community would have been organised into several,

homogeneous self-help groups for savings and other income generation

activities which would have achieved sufficient commitment from their

members and built up financial resources to be self sustaining.

e. The increase in cropping intensity and agricultural productivity reflecting in

overall increase in agriculture production.

f. Increase in income of farmers/ landless labourers in the project area.

g. Increase in groundwater table due to enhanced recharge by watershed

interventions. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 56

ACRONYMS

BRGF Backward Regions Grant Fund

CAPART

CAZRI

CEO

CPRs

CRIDA

CSWCRTI

DDP

DoLR

DP

DPAP

DPC

DPR

DRDA

DWDU

GIS

GP

GPS

GS

ICAR

ICRISAT

IEC

IIFM

IRMA

ISRO

IT

IWDP

JFMC

LFA

MANAGE

MoRD

MOU

NABARD

NAEP

Council for Advancement of People's Action & Rural Technology

Central Arid Zone Research Institute

Chief Executive Officer

Common Property Resources

Central Research Institute for Dry Land Agriculture

Central Soil & Water Conservation Research & Training Institute

Desert Development Programme

Department of Land Resources

District Panchayat

Drought Prone Areas Programme

District Planning Committee

Detailed Project Report

District Rural Development Agency

District Watershed Development Unit

Geographical Information System

Gram Panchayat

Global Positioning System

Gram Sabha

Indian Council of Agricultural Research

International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics

Information, Education and Communication

Indian Institute of Forest Management

Institute of Rural Management, Anand

Indian Space Research Organization

Information Technology

Integrated Wastelands Development Programme

Joint Forest Management Committee

Logical Framework Analysis

National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management

Ministry of Rural Development

Memorandum of Understanding

National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development

National Afforestation & Eco-development Project Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 57

NDC

NGO

NIRD

NRAA

NREGA

NREGS

NRSA

NWDPRA

PIAs

PRA

RVP&FPR

SAUs

SC

SGRY

SHGs

SIRDs

SGSY

SLPSC

SSR

ST

SVOs

SLNA

SWAN

UGs

VOs

WC

WCs

WDF

WDT

WTCs

National Data Centre

Non-Governmental Organization

National Institute of Rural Development

National Rainfed Area Authority

National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

National Remote Sensing Agency

National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas

Project Implementing Agencies

Participatory Rural Appraisal

River Valley Project & Flood Prone River Project

State Agricultural Universities

Scheduled Caste

Sampoorna Grameen Rojgar Yojana

Self Help Groups

State Institute of Rural Development

Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana

State Level Project Sanctioning Committee

Standard Schedule of Rates

Scheduled Tribe

Support Voluntary Organizations

State Level Nodal Agency

State Wide Area Network

User Groups

Voluntary Organisations

Watershed Committee

Watershed Committees

Watershed Development Fund

Watershed Development Team

Water Technology Centres